If politicians can’t agree on the budget the federal government will shut down tonight at midnight. And if it does, nearly 75-thousand active duty Georgia military personnel will feel the pinch immediately.

Under Georgia law, lobbyists don’t have to report what they spend on state employees or the family members of elected officials. It's the second loophole found in the measure since lawmakers rewrote it last year.

Some Georgia doctors are girding themselves for another reduction in the Medicaid reimbursement rate. Lawmakers proposed the cut as part of the 2012 budget. Doctors worry it may further drive down their numbers from rural areas.

The state ethics commission says, lobbyists can spend undisclosed sums of money on most state employees.The decision Tuesday comes after high-speed rail advocates sent Georgia's House Speaker, his family and staff to Europe last year.